South Park (TV Show)

The Medieval Origins of April Fools' Day, Explained

Hollywood writer David Misch wanted to investigate the true nature of humor -- or, as he puts it, the "history, mythology, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, biology, neuroscience and theology of humor" -- so he went about crafting the new tome Funny: The Book -- Everything You Always Wanted to K ... More >>

Ryan Quincy Talks About Transforming From Reluctant Voiceover Actor to Creator of the New IFC Show Out There

Emmy-winning animator Ryan Quincy has always dreamed of having his own show. During the decade and a half he spent working his way up to animation director for South Park, he spent his hiatuses creating a world entirely his own, inhabited by hairy but harmless creatures just trying to sort out the d ... More >>

Theater to See in L.A. This Week, Including Japanese War Brides Musical Tea, With Music

A musical about World War II war brides, Tea, With Music, for which the author, Velina Hasu Houston, has added songs and music for this production, is our Pick of the Week. For all new theater reviews, see below. This week's stage fature looks a couple of plays aiming to be light fare: Micha ... More >>

Avenue Q

Theater to See in L.A. This Week, Including Jeff Goldblum as a Writing Teacher

Starting this week, we will now include our listings of all ongoing shows, below the new reviews, to help make it easier for you to decide which shows to see this week.The writing of neurologist Oliver Sacks has inspired a new work at Theatre @ Boston Court in Pasadena -- Kathryn Walat's Creation. S ... More >>

The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon Review: Yes, It Has Cursing, But It Also Has Heart

That Broadway might have found its salvation in a religious satire written by some of the raunchiest theater creators of the past 15 years is ironic. But for all the sly winks and outright punches thrown, The Book of Mormon -- written by Robert Lopez of Avenue Q and Trey Parker and Matt Stone of Sou ... More >>

Top Chef Masters Recap: Art Smith Teppanyak-ity-yaks

Who says a Quickfire has to involve fire at all? On last night's episode of Top Chef Masters, raw was the name of the game for the chefs, who found themselves surrounding a massive ice sculpture adorned with seafood they had to serve up sans heat for a chance at immunity. And as is appropriate for ... More >>

Grand Opening Party for Café Dulce's Downtown Pop-Up Tonight

Café Dulce has been serving fine coffee and pastries to the Little Tokyo community for a little more than a year now, and, starting tonight, also will have a presence in the South Park neighborhood of Downtown: The shop will launch an indefinite pop-up coffee bar in an empty converted warehouse spa ... More >>

Five Bizarre Social Networking Sites From Musicians

Remember about a decade ago when every rapper had to have his own clothing line? And then remember about four years ago when every rapper had to have his own social networking site? Surprisingly, it turns out that artists from all across the musical spectrum have been impersonating Mark Zuckerberg f ... More >>

Jersey Shoresical: A Frickin' Rock Opera Arrives in L.A., Co-Written by Danny Franzese (aka the Gay Friend in Mean Girls)

You probably know him as Damian, the flamboyant scene stealer from the 2004 film Mean Girls, where various quips ("I want my pink shirt back") earned Danny Franzese a modest cult following consisting primarily of tweens and queens. While his film cohorts Tina Fey and Lindsay Lohan graduated to 30 Ro ... More >>

"What What (in the Butt)" Viral Video Inspires L.A. Art, Five Years Later

In 1972 Asco spray-painted their signatures onto the walls of LACMA, asserting themselves as active members of the art community despite the fact that LACMA wasn't yet willing to show their work. Last Wednesday night, Milwaukee-based Special Entertainment, the partnership between artists Andrew Sw ... More >>

Cannibal! The Musical in a High School? Get the Splash Zone Ready

The first two rows of the black-box theater at Ramón C. Cortines High School's Theatre Arts Academy have been designated a "splash zone," so before the play can begin, the audience members seated there are given giant trash bags with a warning to cover up. They put them on, laughing and curious. It ... More >>

The Next Best Thing to Actually Getting Laid on Valentine's Day

Michael Doven, Tom Cruise's Personal Assistant, Spied on Him For Church of Scientology -- Report

Oprah​If you wonder how the creepy Church of Scientology keeps tabs on its superstar converts (and -- perhaps -- digs up a little dirt?), Tony Ortega, editor-in-chief of our sister paper, Village Voice, might have found out. His mega-scoop today: Between 1991 and 2005, Cruise's personal ass ... More >>

Are You Kiddie Me?

Pancakes & Booze Showcases Underground Art in a Downtown Warehouse

Nanette GonzalesBreakfast for dinner​Also check out our slideshow by Nanette Gonzales on The Pancakes and Booze Art Show Some gallery owners organizing a show might draw inspiration from their college degrees in art history. But when Tom Kirlin curated his first art show, he was inspired by co ... More >>

Top 10 Simpsons Food Episodes: Tomacco Ribwich with a Side of Guatemalan Insanity Peppers Skittlebrau

​Food writers have been stoked this week about the The Simpsons' upcoming episode on gastro culture. Our own Margy Rochlin interviewed Simpsons Executive Producer Matt Selman, who admits he's a big fan of Jonathan Gold. "We kind of make fun of foodies," he says, "but in real life we actually l ... More >>

Gallery Girls, Dr. Sketchy and L.A.'s Sexy Underground Drawing Clubs

The Five Slowest Metal Bands

Chris BruniYob​The words "heavy metal" to most people conjure up visions of blazing-fast guitars, rapid double-bass drumming, and whiplash-inducing headbanging. The bands below, however, are the antithesis. In fact, there's a growing substrata of groups that are defying metal stereotypes, slow ... More >>

Year in Review: Top Food and Pot Stories of 2010

N. GalutenThe famed KFC dispensary, which even spawned a South Park episode​Marijuana has been in the news a lot this year. Prop 19 brought the legalization debate to the national forefront, even though it never had much of a shot at passing (despite our Governator's well-documented use during ... More >>

Top 10 Fictional T.V. Food and Drink

Previously, we gave you our Top 10 Fictional Movie Food and Drink list. Now we're taking on the T.V. version. Not surprisingly, there were a lot of options to choose from and some of you, we're sure, will feel that a few of your favorites are missing (feel free to let us know). So with apologies in ... More >>

Flashback: Six '90s Cartoons That Made an Impact

For those of us who grew up in the 1990s, one thing was certain, we would never be considered "too old" to watch cartoons. As both cable and network stations began adding more and more teen and adult-friendly animated programs, we stayed glued to the sets, whether we were trying to figure out what w ... More >>

DOUG BENSON: MAKE US LAUGH FUNNY BOY!

Terror Suspect Arrested In New York; L.A. Authorities Beef Up Studio Patrols

​As federal authorities announced late Monday that a suspect in Saturday night's attempted car bombing in New York's Times Square was arrested, Los Angeles-area authorities said they have beefed up patrols of area movie studios as a precaution. It's not clear if the terror attempt targeted th ... More >>

Did An Episode Of 'South Park' Inspire New York Car Bomb?

South Park Studios​Authorities are looking into the possibility that a recent episode of Los Angeles-based animated comedy series South Park that was deemed insensitive to Islam by some Muslims could have inspired the failed car bomb in New York's Times Square over the weekend. "This vehicle ... More >>

YOU & YOUR FUCKED-UP FAMILY

'South Park' Episode Takes Cues From L.A.'s Famous KFC Pot Shop

Noah Galuten​Wednesday night's episode of South Park appears to have been inspired in part by Los Angeles' now-legendary Kentucky-Fried-Chicken-turned-medical-marijuana dispensary in Palms. The pot-shop operators at Exposition Boulevard and Hughes Avenue used the KFC provenance to its advantag ... More >>

Redheaded Stepchildren Beware: Students Encouraged To "Kick A Ginger"

Why couldn't it have been kick a Carrot Top day?​Out of the department of reverse discrimination, a redheaded Calabasas boy was allegedly kicked and beaten by middle school classmates who were apparently inspired by a Facebook post calling it "kick a ginger day." The action Friday was apparen ... More >>

Theater Reviews: All in the Timing, Hair, Life Could Be a Dream

Also, 7DS, Cannibal! The Musical, Fernando and more

Cannibal! The Musical

iPhone Wizards: Duo FInd Success Programming Apple i-Products

App yourself silly

The B-Sides: Bishop Lamont Interview

Q: What was it like for you growing up in Los Angeles during the 80s? A: It was the LA of the Reagan administration. Drugs were really heavy in the streets at that time…more crack addicts…crack babies. It was a good time simultaneously because there was more creativity within the music and it ... More >>

Sunset Junction: Germs, Sparks and Blood

Getting the Shaft at the Sunset Junction Street Fair

Black Moses mojo was conjured all over this year's Sunset Junction Street Fair, from the beauteous Isaac Hayes painting done by local artist Kofie (live and to the beats of the nearby I&I Sound System reggae ice cream truck), to the numerous Hayes shout-outs at the Sanborn stage (which was a non-sto ... More >>

Record Reviews: Soulja Boy, Beach House, Cadence Weapon

"Yahhh!" confirms this 17-year-old has his finger on peers' music pulse

Mending the Gap

An interview with Joanna Newsom, who performs Ys with a 28-piece orchestra at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Friday, November 9

On and Off With Jesus

And a breeding ground for bullies

This Review has Been Approved for Mature Audiences Only

Kirby Dick’s blue movie

Good Night, Sweet Chef

Backyard Sex

Hollywood Overheard

Another year, another round of ridiculous remarks

Monkeys and Marionettes

Stewart vs. Crossfire and other comic battles

Laugh Factory

Edited by Kateri Butler

Waving the Black Flag: Rollins & Co. Rock to the Rescue

Gut Feeling

Edited by Kateri Butler

Making Out

Marc Shaiman’s brilliantly schizoid career

Boomin' Bros

Beastie Boys are ill and always will

Toon Out

The Second Annual World Animation Celebration